SailBlind Program

SailBlind, run at Courageous by the Carroll Center for the Blind since the late 1980’s, provides blind and visually impaired people with the opportunity to learn the art and science of sailing. Whether beginner sailors or veteran racers, blind adults and children can have fun and improve their skills using adaptive methods developed by the program, with the help of sighted sailors who volunteer as sailing guides. Participants in the Recreational Sailing program sail Rhodes 19s on Saturdays, and those interested in racing progress to the Step program in a J24, generously donated to Courageous by SailBlind for shared use. The Racing program practices on Wednesdays, and includes some world class racers--two SailBlind boats competed in in the Blind Sailing World Championships in Japan in 2013, with Matt Chao and his team coming in 3rd!

SailBlind's involvement with Courageous Sailing Center (then Pleasure Bay) began in the late 1970's and early 1980's. At that time, we weren't even called Sailblind, and Courageous Sailing Center had yet to develop with the docking of the 12-meter namesake at the present site.